A grand part of my time is spent consuming different kinds of media, such as video games, movies, shows, comics and books. All of these are amazing formats to tell stories with different levels of interaction that consume the lives of millions of fans. However, another format of entertaining that is very common, especially now with the new technologies, is the various fan projects created by the communities that consume these works.
In the latest years, I've noticed myself more involved in consuming products constructed by fans, than actually playing or watching new stuff, and it's fairly simple to understand when one can notice such care and passion in these peoples works. One of my favorite hobbies that have stolen a lot of TV time from me is watching various YouTube videos about the creation and analysis of video games and aniamtion. One of my favorite channels, Noclip, is run by two fantastic individuals that produce incredible documentaries about the creation of video games, their history and their impact on the lives of gamers. Each piece is reported with incredibly detail and great work, be it in the format of well constructed interviews or beautiful footage and editing. I've seen all the videos they have available, and the fact is I haven't played or touched the majority of the games discussed, yet I keep finding myself immersed in the behind the scenes and curiosities of it all.
The other great channel in a similar format is People Make Games, another YouTube channel run by a small team of three that creates great and important pieces of journalism about the video game's industry, going from various subjects like the huge piece they produced about Roblox's exploitation of Young Game Developers and other more fun ones like What Happened to the Queens Golden Wii. Here we have another showcase of how gaming enthusiastics and professionals can create marvelous videos of entertainment with great importance and delicacy. For real, the way the team produces so well crafted designs and gives voice to their various quotes through their work shows an amazing finesse in their work.
So far these are two projects that focus a lot on the historic and journalistic aspect of "fan" creation, existing many more examples that focus on mere analysis and interpretations of the content one consumes. Let's look at Eurothug400, the latest content creator I've had the pleasure of finding, and the one that inspired me to actually sit down and write a little bit about this topic. On her channel, we can find various breakdowns of her opinions on games from pieces where she explores the emotions she felt playing them, and her analysis of different topics surrounding them like aesthetic, style and scale.
Similar to her channel, we have Beyond Ghibli, a marvelous pool of analysis of animation that goes beyond the traditional Hayao Miyazaki work. In both their creations we find amazing videos of their own opinions and interpretations accompanied by each's beautiful voices and editing. Just like in the other examples, here I find them talking about millions of things I haven't watched/played but that still capture my attention and compel me to sit down and research more about it. This is the magic of content created by content, even if you have zero contest about the topic, there's still magic to be found in discovering the various themes and discussions a work can bring.
Obviously, I'm mostly focusing on video projects you can find through YouTube, but there's many more in different formats. You have Anifem, an amazing site that I have talked before, where you can read different takes on the most variety of anime's all with various feminist perspectives. In a more technical aspect you have Sakuga Blog, one of the most popular sources of Japanese animation filled with amazing articles about its creators and creations.
On the live content we can also find one of my biggest addictions in the latest years, the most recent sensation Vtubers and streamers in general. There's something special about seeing your favorite streamer react to a game you love, and sometimes they can even make games you're not particular interested look fun. I've experienced this a lot with Amelia Watson and Selen Tatsuki playing Apex, and Frting Glitter through Valorant.
I'ts amazing how much we can find, isn't it? But there's still so much more, and we haven't even approached the themes of fan art and fan fiction. Every time there's a new Pokémon announcement, you can immediately find thousands of gorgeous art from its millions of fans, and when shipping is involved, there's no better place than exploring your creativity through alternative realities. I still remember the art that made me consider Cruella and Anita as a couple, or the amazing fanfic in AO3 that made me explore the complexities of a relationship between Batgirl and Harley Queen.
Overall, fan creations are magical and extraordinary, building on the source material and going deeper on the subjects of the matter. I simply love listening this amazing people talk and share their expertise, be in the format of podcasts like Triple Click, Streams, videos, art, writing, etc.
This is my little take on the subject, which is simply an excuse for me to gush about my favorite content creators and share them with everyone. As usual, thank you very much for reading my baka thoughts, I hope you have a nice day and byebye~
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